Join us for an original dance performance choreographed by Laurie Goux. The Jagged Path, dance performance will transform the gallery space into a performance space putting the themes of the Jagged Path exhibition in motion. Featuring performers from around the United States this exciting event will include West African dance, Afro-Caribbean dance, Tap, Clogging, Modern dance, and more. This event is something you don’t want to miss so get your tickets today.
This special event is part of the Jagged Path: the African Diaspora in Western North Carolina in Craft, Music, and Dance exhibit on display though October 22, 2022. The exhibit illuminates the obscured history of African contributions to craft, music, and dance in Western North Carolina. Drawing connections from the 17th through 21st centuries., the Jagged Path will demonstrate how African traditions that survived the Middle Passage have helped create the culture of Western North Carolina through interviews, performances, historic artifacts, artist residencies, and more.
About the artist
Laurie Goux has been performing, choreographing and producing since 1981. She is an alumna and former faculty member of Columbia College Dance Center where she taught Modern Dance as a part of the core curriculum. Laurie has performed and taught at the Augusta Festival at D&E since 2010, teaching Blues, West African, Afro-Brazilian and Caribbean dance and lecturing on the African influence in Appalachian culture.
Goux has performed in the works of Loretta Livingston, June Finch, Shirley Mordine, XSight! Performance Group, Jan Erkert, Robin Lakes, Kate Kuper, Lin Shook, Tommy Gomez, Carol Bobrow’s “Hiroshima Trilogy,” Claudia Gittleman’s “Amartia” and Martha Clarke’s “Haiku” performed by Mordine & Company trio with Tim O’Slynne and Brian Jeffery. She produced “Suite Chicago Blues” featuring Max-A-Million’s rendition of Willie Dixon’s song, “My Babe” in collaboration with the DuSable Museum and Chicago Blues Museum exhibit and choreographed and performed in the Nation of Islam’s First Saviors Day musical production of “Trials of a Queen,” directed by Donna Farrakhan. Her dancing has shared the stage with many celebrated international music artists, including Max-A-Million, Youssou N’Dour, Mori Keba Kouyate, Queen Asabia and Rafo International Combo.
Montreal-born Grenadian-Canadian Kaia Kater‘s jazz-fueled voice and deft songcraft have garnered acclaim from NPR, CBC, Rolling Stone and No Depression. On her JUNO nominated and Polaris Music Prize long-listed album ‘Grenades’, Kaia leans into a wide array of sounds and styles in order to convey a broad range of emotions and topics, most notably her paternal ancestry. For 2021, Kaia is taking part in the Slaight Music Residency at the Canadian Film Center and released a new single “Parallels” in October. She is currently a songwriter on The Porter TV series (CBC/BET) and is working on a full-length album, on track for release in 2023.
Jimmy Payne Jr. began his tap dance lessons at Jimmy Payne School of Dance located in Chicago. His teacher and father was legendary dance master Jimmy Payne, who taught tap and Afro-Caribbean dance to thousands of dance enthusiasts and professionals for over seventy years. Jimmy Payne Jr. continues the tradition by performing and teaching in Chicago and abroad.
Jimmy has performed at the Chicago Blues Festival, the Chicago Jazz Festival, Dance Chicago, and with Chicago Human Rhythm Project. He also has performed with legendary saxophonist Von Freeman at the Chicago Cultural Center, with jazz great Orbert Davis at the Arts Club in Chicago, and with Bradley Williams 21st Century Jazz Review, whom he accompanied on a trip to India for a series of concerts.
Critics have described Jimmy as “a tap classicist with a composer’s mind,” (Chicago Sun Times) “the real deal,” (Maui Times) and the Chicago Tribune referred to him as “smoking virtuosity.” Jimmy has also won an award with Black Theater Alliance for best performance in concert. He currently teaches at Columbia College where he has been faculty for over 20 years.
Jimmy’s style of tap is rooted in intricate rhythms and movement. This style of tap is commonly referred to as rhythm tap and was taught by Jimmy Payne Sr. Jimmy Payne Sr. was taught by Broadway legend Buddy Bradley.
Reginald Robinson’s love for traditional jazz styles started in 1984 with his older brother listening to Swing recordings at home. In 1986 while in 7th grade a city funded arts program gave an assembly at his school called “From Bach to Bebop” with a live jazz ensemble. In 1992 with the help of pianist Jon Weber, Robinson’s professional music career began when he recorded a demo of 17 original tunes. Soon after his first album was released on Delmark Records in 1993 he received an invitation from pianist Marian McPartland to appear as a guest on her popular radio show “Piano Jazz.”
Robinson’s music has been used in theater and film; The Goodman Theater’s 1995 production of Each One As She May, Intimate Apparel – a play 2003, Compensation – an independent film 2000, and he served as a contributing historian for the 2010 documentary Chicago’s Black Metropolis.
In 2004, he was awarded the rare and distinguished John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Award for his innovative ragtime piano works and music research. In June of 2017 Robinson worked with Illinois Humanities to present “An Evening at the Pekin Theater” the first owned and operated African American music theater in the world. In 2018 Robinson was commissioned by pianist Norman Malone and Kartemquin Films to compose a ragtime work for the left hand and premiered a work in tribute to pioneer African American bandleader James Reese Europe commissioned by Symphony Center Presents on November 2nd at Symphony Center. In Dec 2018 Robinson gave a performance/ lecture on Scott Joplin’s music at The Schomburg in New York.
In 2019 Robinson teamed up with MacArthur fellows Susan Sygall (CEO of Mobility International-USA and the Women’s Institute on Leadership & Disability) and flutist Claire Chase for a special music concert of disability activism and artistry. In addition to concertizing, Robinson is internationally known for his lectures at colleges and universities, which has aided to preserving the legacy of African American history.
Crystina Sowell began her training at three years of age in Morgantown, WV. At the age of twelve she had the honor of spending a month in Italy with her dance troupe as an American dance ambassador. Crystina has studied a variety of different dance forms during her years as a dancer including acrobats, gymnastics, jazz, tap, ballet, pointe, contemporary, and modern. In 2005 Crystina received a dance minor from WVU where she was a member of the modern dance ensemble, Orchesis, and was also a choreographer within WVU’s Division of Theatre and Dance. Since graduating Crystina has had the pleasure of performing with Alchemy Dance Ensemble for three seasons as well as teaching and performing with the African American Arts and Heritage Academy, Bridgeport High School Dance ensemble, and Morgantown Dance Studio.
Sadira Muhammad is a seasoned Chicago dance artist, grounded in the community, practicing Afro-Cultural movement accented by modern dance phraseology. She has a background in the field of Teaching Artistry where she integrates history and literature with cultural dance to share with students in Chicago Public Schools. She has cultivated the additional component of creating a traveling elementary school dance troop. This has aligned with CPS SEL and Community Engagement goals.
Sadira is an Adjunct Faculty member of Dance at Governors State University Theater and Performance Studies. She is also a guest lecturer at Columbia College Chicago School of FIne and Performing Arts.
